A variety of corrugated cardboard pallets constructed with beam members and pallet deck plates of conventional technology have been proposed to replace metallic or wooden pallets that have conventionally been used in the transportation industry.
Corrugated cardboard pallets of conventional technology can roughly be classified into two types: (1) a core type, having a core of beam members bonded to the bottom surface of a beam member made of a flat corrugated cardboard, which is further wrapped into a roll, or having a core of multiple flat corrugated cardboards stacked atop each other; and (2) a hollow type, having hollow beam members.
The present applicant has proposed a hollow type corrugated cardboard pallet as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-370738. The corrugated cardboard pallets of this type have load-bearing portions, which provide far better pressure resistance than the hollow type corrugated cardboard pallets of conventional technology.
Nonetheless, a beam member of the above corrugated cardboard pallet has edges where the corrugated cardboard pallet is cut across and exposed to the surrounding environment such that, when rain falls into the open surface of the edges, the corrugated cardboard pallet absorbs water therefrom, thereby deteriorating the pressure resistance thereof.
Understanding the above technical background, the objective of the present invention is to improve the pressure resistance of corrugated cardboard pallets and to provide waterproofing without using a waterproof coating or water-repelling technique and without deteriorating its pressure resistance.